Homesteading & Home Making
Here in the U.S., homesteading is on the rise. If you are thinking of making a change from your current lifestyle to a simpler life, you may face many homesteading obstacles. This is especially true of those who don’t have farming roots.
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Fall is my favorite time of year and the kids always liked to decorate for Halloween. Coming from a frugal family, decorations were made using things we had around the house. Thankfully, we have the Dollar Tree these days where we can make Farm-Tastic Halloween Decorations for just a couple of dollars. Here are 4…
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When J was a little boy, many moons ago. He and his siblings were bringing firewood in without gloves and his little fingers were frostbitten. Even now, he has to be careful in the cold because his fingers will hurt badly if not kept warm.
Winter is fast approaching here in the panhandle of Idaho. The pass and upper elevation have already seen snow. I hope you’ve gotten all your wood stacked and dried.
If you’ve used wood as your heating or cooking source for any length of time, then you know the key to heat production is in properly drying and storing firewood.
We’ve want to share what we’ve learned with you over the years about drying and storing firewood.
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If you’re going to put out the energy and time to cut, split, and properly store firewood, you want to know you’re being as efficient as possible. No use wasting valuable time when there might be an easier way, right? The question is, how do you know which are the best trees for firewood.
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We are often asked why we call ourselves “New Old-Fashioned Farmers.” The answer of course is simple. We call ourselves this because we farm the way my grandparents taught me, like their parents taught them, at least in manner that is. Since we farm in a modern, tech filled world we have a some variances, but then every generation brings its own ideas, experiences, and talents to farming. Balance is the key to life.
Read MoreWhen my great-grandmother, Ma Horton, died I was 13 and she was 85 years old. She left us with wonderful memories and many lessons for life. I have a rich farming heritage because of who they were and my grandparents teaching me all their parents taught them, but whether or not I remember it all is another story! 🙂
Some of Ma Horton’s wisdom has been handed down to us because her daughters wrote some of it down for those of us in the younger generations. These are a few of those tips that I use in my own home.
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Have you ever caught a firefly? I remember countless nights as a child, running through the fields with a mason jar trying to catch fireflies. Watching the jar filled with bugs with glowing bottoms for hours, then releasing them back into the fields only to start all over again. But where have all the fireflies…
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Has something in your soul been calling you to get back to your roots? Do you have a strong desire to leave the fast-paced society and get your hands in the dirt? If so, you’re not alone. Thousands just like you are wanting to leave their 9-5 in search of a simpler life. To…
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Hummingbirds have always fascinated me. Their ability to hover, their amazing speed, and how they appear to dance with the air. As long as I can remember, my grands and my ma had a red feeder hanging outside the window to attract hummingbirds. Little did we know back then that the red food dye…
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October Week 3 Bonus Lesson Salt Nutrition All ages Keep track of your salt consumption for a day. Include hidden salts in foods. Did you consume more or less than what is recommended? How can you reduce how much salt you eat (if you need to)? Printable >>> Sodium Tracker Nutrition Salt is an important…
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How Do I know if My Child Needs Help? One of the questions I get asked all the time is, “How do I know if my child needs help?” We as parents are so hard on ourselves that we fail to think, it happens. We often dive into self blame and feel that we may…
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October Week 3 Lesson 4 Salt: Preservation & Location Math Preschool/Kindergarten Make salt crystals from construction paper and have your child practice counting with them. How to make your own salt crystals- Salt Crystals Experiment ~ Beaker Life You can teach basic addition and subtraction with them as well. Grade School/High School Do you know…
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October Week 3 Lesson 3 Meat Preservation Science Preschool/Kindergarten Make some jerky with your child (or just dry some meat). >>> Beef Jerky Recipe ~ Pioneer Woman If you can, do the drying like the pioneers did. Once it is dry, taste it or even use it in a stew or soup. Have your child…
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October Week 3 Lesson 2 Math Preschool/Kindergarten Have your child weigh fat before you render it. Tell them to find other things to weigh that might weigh about the same amount. Grade School/High School You can get about a pint of lard from a pound of fat. Figure out how much fat you would need…
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October Week 3 Lesson 1 Meat Processing Language Arts Preschool/Kindergarten Have your child tell you about their favorite meat to eat. If you feel your child is ready, tell them how that meat would have been processed in pioneer times. Grade School/High School If your family is processing meat, label the packages. Write instructions…
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October Week 2 Lesson 3 Map Reading Map Reading Skills Preschool/Kindergarten Show your child simple maps. Make a map of your neighborhood and have your child show you how to get from place to place. Have your child pick a place on the map to go, and show him/her how to get there by using…
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October Week 2 Lesson 2 Hunting, Fishing, Trapping If you did not finish Little House in the Big Woods last week, continue reading it. The next book usually read in the Little House series is Farmer Boy. This one is so much fun – there are so many insights into living back then. Farmer Boy…
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October Week 2 Lesson 1 Guns, Gunpowder, Ammunition Read Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder as a read-aloud to all ages. This book has wonderful information about guns and ammunition as well as pioneer life. History Preschool/Kindergarten Parents, please go over gun safety when talking to your children about guns.…
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What is the Difference Between Baking and Cooking? You may hear some people say they can cook but not bake, or they can bake but not cook, others may think they mean the same thing. So what’s the difference? Cooking allows the person to make substitutions and improvise. Generally, you don’t have to be…
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